More thinking,less reading

more reciting, less reading
more brain, less eye

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Planning your revision
With much to cover in a short time, it\'s essential to think carefully about how, when and what to revise. This guide suggests some strategies to help you make your revision planning as effective as possible, including:

When should you start revising?
Getting organised
Filling in gaps in your knowledge
Having a revision routine
Revising for MCQs, short answer, open book and oral exams
Printable version of this guide (this is designed to be printed double-sided on A4 paper, then folded to make an A5 leaflet).

If you are anxious about exams you may like to know about the weekly relaxation sessions run by the Chaplaincy and the Counselling and Wellbeing service. These take place on Wednesdays 14.30 - 15.30 in the RUSU Lounge, Room 2 (weeks 1 - 8). These friendly sessions are open to all - no need to book.

When should you start revising?
The best approach to revision is to prepare for it throughout the year by spending a short amount of time each week thinking about what you have learnt in each of your modules, and writing a page of notes including your own understanding and any questions you may have. These notes will be the basis for more detailed revision later in the year.

You might prefer to leave revision until after your taught classes have finished. Try not to leave starting too late, or you may find it difficult to get access to resources and advice from your tutors. Do attend any revision classes that are offered by your department.

Cramming at the last minute is not a good idea! It may have got you through A-levels but will not work so well at university level where you usually need to communicate an understanding of your subject rather than just memorising information.

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Getting organised
Select the topics you\'re going to revise for each exam paper. First choose topics that are basic to the understanding of the subject. Also choose topics that you enjoy or understand. Use past papers and check that your topic selection allows enough choice of questions. (If you don\'t understand the question on your favourite topic, don\'t answer it.)

Plan your time – be realistic. You could start early with one day a week and build up as exam time approaches. Some people work better under pressure, but don\'t leave it all till the last minute. Allocate more time to topics you are less confident in, however tempting it is to just work on the ones you like.

Download past exam papers – these give you experience of the kind of question that might be asked, and get you used to what the paper looks like before you enter the exam room. Use them to practise: reading and understanding the question; identifying topics; planning answers; writing timed answers. (Download Past Exam Papers.)

Find out what the examiner wants – examiners look for an understanding of the topic, not just a good memory. They want you to apply your knowledge to answer the question. Set your revision in context – how does this topic link to others? What are the major debates and issues? Think critically: do you agree or disagree with what has been said? Can you explain why? Is there evidence for or against your view?

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Filling in the gaps in your knowledge
Revision is about reminding yourself of what you\'ve already learnt, and identifying the gaps you need to fill once you have an overview.

Practise active reading – write down what you know about a topic already, then make a list of what you need to know more about (methods, theories, issues, order of events etc).Look for these inyourreading. If you are unsure about a topic, start small with a paragraph (e.g. in a subject dictionary) that gives a general overview. Read with exam questions in mind. How does this reading help you answer these questions? Is it evidence for a particular argument? For more on this, see our guide on Managing academic reading.

Do more thinking, less note-taking – read without a pen in your hand, or you\'ll be tempted to write down everything. Read a page or section, then stop and think about what you\'ve just read. Write brief notes and read them through. Thinking and reflecting makes understanding, and can be done any time or place, - on the bus, in the gym, walking to uni.

Make your notes memorable. Use subheadings, bullet points, and colours. Spidergrams are useful for showing whole topics with main points and supporting evidence all on one page. In the exam you will not have time to write in details of studies, so just note down main points. For more on this, see our guide to Effective note-taking.

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Having a revision routine
Set times, targets and rewards – Decide on your most alert times of day (morning, afternoon or evening) and commit to fixed revision sessions so you don\'t waste time. Have a list of achievable targets for each session and tick them off to motivate yourself. Set up short-term rewards (coffee break, phone call, gym session, computer game, cake) and keep your long-term reward in mind – to do as well as you deserve in the exam by being properly prepared.

Work out a revision timetable if you have a whole week (or several weeks) in which to revise. Keep at least one day free for relaxation and make sure you cover each of your exam papers. Don\'t revise one whole paper before going on to the next - it\'s important to swap subjects regularly for the material to embed itself in your memory.

Work in blocks of two to three hours with minibreaks. Don\'t spend whole days on the same module - change to a new one after a 2 - 3 hour block. You will feel refreshed and get more done. Over your week do at least one study block for each paper requiring revision. It will avoid the I\'ve run out of time and haven\'t looked at anything on paper X! crisis.

Test yourself – after you have revised a topic, leave it a day, then test yourself. Write a sheet of notes without checking what you\'ve already written – include main issues and debates, major theories, formulae, connections to other topics, ideas you may have had while reading.

Write timed answers –closer to exam time, practise writing timed answers by hand. Work out how much time you\'ll have in the exam for each answer. Aim to spend a little more time at first – then speed up with each answer you write. Don\'t refer to notes. Then reflect on any problems and think about what you could do to solve these.

Revise with friends. If you find it helpful to learn by discussing questions or topics and swapping material, set up a regular time to meet with other students.

Work effectively not virtuously – if you plan and focus your revision you shouldn\'t have to work 24/7. Studying is amentally tiringoccupation which can\'t be maintained at a high level for long periods of time. Your brain needs downtime to process the information it\'s been given. Take regular breaks, make time for exercise and socialising, eat healthily and get enough sleep.

If you\'re feeling anxious...
Some students get extremely anxious whilst doing exams. It will help to feel prepared – the strategies in this series of guides aim to help you to do that. If you are still anxious, and are worried that this will affect your performance, do come and discuss this with a Study Adviser or a university counsellor. The Chaplaincy also offer regular sessions open to all students to teach relaxation techniques. Contact them for more details at [e-mail].

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MCQ, short answer, open book and oral exams
If your exam includes Multiple Choice Questions…

Concentrate on terms and definitions. To learn things by rote, write information on a card and stick it somewhere you will look often e.g. by the kettle or in the bathroom. Look at it for a day or so every time you pass by.
Test yourself on facts.Try testing yourself about ten minutes after you\'re read something - if you remember it then, test yourself again after a day.
Practise with past test questions if possible. Don\'t worry too much about timing, but get used to using strategies for working out best answers.
Look out for other possible questions and answers while revising. If you have any past test questions, think about the kind of questions that are asked.
If your exam includes short answer questions…

Short answer questions typically ask you to explain, define or list. Make sure you know which are the key terms and theories for your topic that you might be asked to communicate in these ways.
As you\'re revising each topic, write a sheet of important points and summaries to get used to identifying and explaining significant ideas.
Make sure you know the terms frequently used in short answer questions and understand what theyare asking you to do.
Look at past exam papers for your topic to see how short answer questions are typically posed, and how many marks each part attracts.
Practice writing succinct answers.
If you have an open-book exam…

Open book exams focus attention on your understanding of the topic, and your ability to communicate it. Concentrate on this when revising, rather than trying to remember facts.
If you are working from a literary text, make a list of significant events in the order they occur in the text. Learn the order so you will be able to find them quickly in the exam room. If you know your text well, you won\'t waste time searching through it.
Make sure you know what is allowed and what isn\'t. You may not be allowed to mark pages with bookmarks or tags, or the amount of annotating may be restricted.
Check that you have the correct edition of an allowed text book. Earlier or later editions may be quite different.
If you have an oral exam for a language course...

Listen to, or watch a radio or television channel in your chosen language. Even if you don\'t understand all the vocabulary, get used to the rhythm and expression of the language.
Practice with another student studying the same language (or better still, a native speaker). Set yourselves a topic and talk to each other for a set time. Set forfeits for lapses into English!
If you have been given topics to talk about in the exam,make sure you know the key vocabulary.
Learn conversational pleasantries in your chosen language like Good morning, Pleased to meet you, Excuse me, Sorry, Please, Thank you and Goodbye and use them with your friends in the run-up to the exam so that they become automatic.
Also see our Postgrad resources for more on Vivas.

http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/studyadvice/StudyResources/Exams/sta-revision.aspx